Chemical-mechanical planarization tool force calibration method and system

ABSTRACT

The methods and devices described below allow users of CMP tools to quickly calibrate Spindle Force, Wafer Force, and Retaining Ring Force using mechanisms, load cells, a control computer, and force equations. The control computer can test a variety of pressures in the inflatable seal or the inflatable membrane, depending on the wafer carrier configuration, to determine a unique calibration in real time for the particular wafer carrier that is being tested and used during the polishing process.

This Application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/046,502, filed Jan. 28, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No.7,040,955.

FIELD OF THE INVENTIONS

The inventions described below relate to the field of workpiecepolishing, and more particularly, to methods and devices related toforce measurement and calibration in CMP processing of a semiconductorwafer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONS

Integrated circuits, including computer chips, are manufactured bybuilding up layers of circuits on the front side of silicon wafers. Anextremely high degree of wafer flatness and layer flatness is requiredduring the manufacturing process. Chemical-mechanical planarization(CMP) is a process used during device manufacturing to flatten wafersand the layers built-up on wafers to the necessary degree of flatness.

Chemical-mechanical planarization is a process involving polishing of awafer with a polishing pad combined with the chemical and physicalaction of a slurry delivered onto the pad. The wafer is held by a wafercarrier, with the backside of the wafer facing the wafer carrier and thefront side of the wafer facing a polishing pad. The polishing pad isheld on a platen, which is usually disposed beneath the wafer carrier.Both the wafer carrier and the platen are rotated so that the polishingpad polishes the front side of the wafer. A slurry of selected chemicalsand abrasives is delivered onto the pad to affect the desired type andamount of polishing. (CMP is therefore achieved by a combination ofchemical softener, physical downward force, and rotation that removesmaterial from the wafer or wafer layer.) The downward force, referred toin this application as the Spindle Force, is split in the wafer carrierto a Retaining Ring Force and a Wafer Force.

Using the CMP process, a thin layer of material is removed from thefront side of the wafer or wafer layer. The layer may be a layer ofoxide grown or deposited on the wafer, a layer of metal deposited on thewafer, or the wafer itself. The removal of the thin layer of material isaccomplished so as to reduce surface variations on the wafer. Thus, thewafer and layers built-up on the wafer are very flat and/or uniformafter the process is complete. Typically, more layers are added and thechemical mechanical planarization process repeated to build completeintegrated circuit chips on the wafer surface.

A variety of wafer carrier configurations are used during CMP. One ofthese configurations, such as Strasbaugh's Variable-input PneumaticRetaining Ring (ViPRR) Carrier, is designed to hold the wafer to thecarrier inside the boundary of the retaining ring while an inflatableseal situated behind the retaining ring is pressurized. The inflatablering seal extends the retaining ring into the polish pad generating theRetaining Ring Force. An equation or look-up table is used to determinethe amount of air pressure required in the inflatable ring seal togenerate a certain amount of force on the ring while the remainingspindle force is exerted against the wafer.

Another configuration of wafer carrier manufactured by Strasbaugh andused in CMP is designed to have the retaining ring fixed to the carrierwhile an inflatable membrane is used to apply pressure behind the wafer.The inflatable membrane behind the wafer generates the force acting onthe wafer called the wafer force. An equation or table is used todetermine the amount of air pressure required in the membrane to apply aspecified force to the wafer during polishing.

Spindle force on CMP tools is created by the use of a pivoting mechanismcoupled to a spindle and actuated by a bellows, piston or other actuatormeans. Currently, spindle force on CMP tools is calibrated periodicallyto ensure the spindle force applied during CMP is accurate. A technicianuses a load cell fixture to measure spindle forces at various bellows orpiston pressures and inputs this information into the controllingcomputer for calibration. The downward spindle force generated bypressures in a bellows actuation system can change over time, soperiodic calibration is required to determine the corresponding spindleforce generated by the bellows. The CMP tool must be taken out ofservice to perform this calibration.

Today, there is no convenient way for measuring spindle force, waferforce, or retaining ring force. Presently, the equation calibratinginflatable seal pressure to ring force or membrane to wafer force,depending on the carrier type, is pre-determined experimentally at thefactory using a load cell fixture. Forces are measured for a reasonablesampling of inflatable seals or membranes, depending on the wafercarrier type, at various air pressures. From these experiments, ageneric factory equation is calculated and this equation is used for allwafer carriers of that type. As a result, there are many genericequations covering various types and sizes of wafer carriers.

Many problems are encountered using this method of calibration due, inpart, to manufacturing inconsistencies between inflatable seals andmembranes. Since membranes and inflatable seals are made of arubber-like material (Such as EPDM, Silicone, HNBR, Buna, etc.) usingtraditional molding methods, dimensional tolerances are relativelylarge. In addition to dimensional variations, there can be manydifferences in the material properties due to compositioninconsistencies from seal to seal and membrane to membrane. Also,material properties and dimensions can change over time due to variousconditions. Some of these conditions include cycling stresses caused bycontinuous inflation and deflation, chemical attack by the slurry, heatcycles, and exposure to air and moisture. The dimensional and materialproperties of the inflatable seals and membranes greatly affect theforce calibration curve and changes to these properties can have adverseeffects to the calibration curve. Due to the manufacturinginconsistencies, the material inconsistencies, and changes in propertiesover time, the generic factory force calibrations for wafer carriers arenot completely accurate. This can result in sub-optimal and inconsistentpolish results.

Previously, semi-conductor designers and manufacturers lived with theinconsistencies in surface flatness, designing their chips around theissues. Other designers and manufacturers required tighter tolerances.These organizations would handle the problems through individualcharacterization and sorting of the membranes and inflatable seals usinga custom bench test machine. This process is slow and labor intensive.Many inflatable seals are deemed un-usable and scrapped because they donot fall within certain predetermined limits. With wafer tolerancesbecoming more critical methods and devices that are able to quicklycharacterize and calibrate individual inflatable seals or membranesprior to or in between polishing runs are needed to ensure accuratewafer and retaining ring forces are used in wafer processing.

SUMMARY

The methods and systems described below allow users of CMP tools toeasily and accurately calibrate Spindle Force, Wafer Force, andRetaining Ring Force using mechanisms, load cells, a control computer,and force equations. The control computer can test a variety ofpressures in the inflatable seal or the inflatable membrane, dependingon the wafer carrier configuration, to determine a unique calibrationfor the particular wafer carrier that is being tested and used duringthe polishing process. This calibration will be more accurate than thegeneric factory calibrations because the calibration will be unique tothat specific carrier. This system is particularly applicable to wafercarriers having independent retaining ring and wafer force control.

Currently, a calibration would be performed immediately uponinstallation of a wafer carrier and periodically after a predeterminednumber of polish cycles to ensure calibration remains accuratethroughout the life cycle of the wafer carrier. The present inventionallows for calibration to be carried out by a CMP prior to or in betweena polishing run without taking a machine out of service.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a system for performing chemical mechanical planarization.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the unloading stationincorporating load cells for determining forces applied by components ofthe wafer carrier and spindle.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed configuration of a Load Cell in an unloadingstation.

FIG. 4 shows the force equation of Spindle Force, Wafer Force, andRetaining Ring Force as it relates to a spindle, a wafer, and aretaining ring.

FIG. 5 shows an overarm spindle assembly with bellows actuation.

FIG. 6 shows a wafer carrier utilizing an inflatable seal behind aretaining ring.

FIG. 7 shows a wafer carrier utilizing an inflatable membrane behind thesemiconductor wafer.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the calibration process.

FIG. 9 shows a Spindle Calibration Curve.

FIG. 10 shows a Carrier Calibration Curve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTIONS

FIG. 1 shows a system 1 for performing chemical mechanical planarization(CMP). One or more polishing heads or wafer carriers 2 hold wafers 3(shown in phantom to indicate their position underneath the wafercarrier) suspended over a polishing pad 4. A wafer carrier 2 thus has ameans for securing and holding a wafer 3. The wafer carriers 2 aresuspended from translation arms 5. The polishing pad is disposed on aplaten 6, which spins in the direction of arrows 7. The wafer carriers 2rotate about their respective spindles 8 in the direction of arrows 9.The wafer carriers 2 are also translated back and forth over the surfaceof the polishing pad by the translating spindle 10, which moves asindicated by arrows 20. The slurry used in the polishing process isdelivered onto the surface of the polishing pad through slurry injectiontube 21, which is disposed on or through a suspension arm 22. (Otherchemical mechanical planarization systems may use only one wafer carrier2 that holds one wafer 3, or may use several wafer carriers 2 that holdseveral wafers 3. Other systems may also use separate translation armsto hold each carrier.

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an unloading station 23incorporating load cells for determining forces applied by components ofthe wafer carrier 2 and spindle 8. A load cell is a transducer thatconverts a load acting on the load cell into an electrical signal. Theunload station 23 of a CMP tool 1 is where a semiconductor wafer 3 istypically unloaded after polishing. In the presently disclosed system,total spindle force and the wafer force component can be measured at theunload station 23. In alternative embodiments of the CMP Tool ForceCalibration Method and System, the system can measure the total spindleforce and the retaining ring force component or the system can measurethe wafer force component and the spindle force component.

In the CMP Tool Force Calibration system and method, the retaining ringforce component is determined by the control computer. The CMP forcecalibration system may also be incorporated in another part of the CMPtool such as a loading station. To accomplish auto calibration, two LoadCells 24 and 25 are placed within a mechanisms located on the CMP tool1.

The mechanisms on the unload station are designed to distinguish betweentotal downward force from the spindle 8 and the force acting on thewafer 3. A first load cell 24 measures the total downward force appliedby a spindle to a wafer carrier through an actuation system in a CMPtool. A second load cell 25, or plurality of load cells, measures theforce component acting on the wafer in a wafer carrier exerted through aback plate or an inflatable membrane; wafer force. A load plate 26 withoffsets 27 is placed in the unload station either using a robotic arm ormanually. During calibration of the spindle force, pressure in theretaining ring seal or inflatable membrane is set to zero. The wafercarrier is brought down on the mechanism and placed in contact with botha ledge 29 around the inner diameter of unload station's guide ring 31and the load plate 26 with downward force generated by the actuationsystem of the spindle. The first load cell measures this downward forceand the control computer is able to record these measurements and thecorresponding bellows pressure from the actuation mechanism of thespindle corresponding to the downward force. The bellows pressure actingon the spindle is measured by a beam load cell located in the spindleassembly.

The load plate 26 is also used to transfer downward force acting on thewafer in the wafer carrier to the second load cell 25 located inside theload station. The wafer force component may be generated from a backplate or an inflatable membrane having a membrane pressure. The secondload cell 25 is able to measure the wafer force component of thedownward force. Force measurements from the spindle 8 and wafer are sentto a control computer. Spindle force, wafer force, and retaining ringforce are then appropriately calibrated with corresponding pressuresusing a Spindle Force Equation(F_(spindle)=F_(wafer)+F_(retaining ring)).

FIG. 3 depicts a configuration of the mechanism used to measure waferforce in more detail. The load plate 26 is not shown for clarity. Themechanism is comprised of a set of three points positioned approximately120 degrees from one another with each point containing an individualload cell. All three individual load cells can collectively be used asthe second load cell 25 to measure the wafer force component.Alternatively, the mechanism can be configured to have two points assolid supports while the remaining point contain the second load cell25. Either one of these configurations can be used to measure the waferforce component.

FIG. 4 illustrates the three forces considered during CMP polishing.These forces include, spindle force 35, wafer force 36, and retainingring force 37. Downward force from the spindle 8 acts on the wafercarrier 2 during CMP and the polishing table. The force acting on thewafer carrier 2 is split in the wafer carrier 2 to a retaining ringforce 37 component and a wafer force 36 component. The force balanceequation of these forces is represented as follows:F_(spindle)=F_(wafer)+F_(retaining ring)Where:

F_(spindle)=Force from the spindle acting on the wafer carrier

F_(wafer)=Portion of force from the spindle acting on the Wafer

F_(retaining ring)=Portion of force from the spindle acting on theretaining ring

Since Wafer Force 36 plus Retaining Ring Force 37 is equal to the totalSpindle Force 35, any of these force values can be calculated by knowingvalues for two of the three forces in the equation. Using the CMP autoforce calibration device, the Spindle Force is set to a desired value.The actual force of the spindle is measured with the first load cell 24.The system also is able to measure wafer force component using thesecond load cell 25. Retaining ring force can then be calculated bysubtracting the wafer force component from the total downward spindleforce (F_(retaining ring)=F_(spindle)−F_(wafer)). Retaining ring forceis calculated to generate a calibration curve relating to the retainingring actuator pressure.

Spindle force on most CMP tools 1 comes from an actuation system. Theactuation system may be pneumatic or hydraulic. Typically, pneumaticactuation of a spindle in a CMP tool is achieved through the use of abellows 39. FIG. 5 shows an overarm spindle assembly with bellowsactuation. The bellows 39 actuate a mechanism that pushes the spindle 8coupled to a wafer carrier 2 towards a polish pad during CMP. TheSpindle Force is divided in the Wafer Carrier into Retaining Ring Forcecomponent and Wafer Force component. These two components from thecarrier act on the polish table during CMP.

FIG. 6 shows a wafer carrier 2 utilizing an inflatable ring seal 41behind a retaining ring 42. In some wafer carriers 2, such asStrasbaugh's ViPRR carrier, the semiconductor wafer 3 is held by thecarrier 2 while an inflatable seal 41 situated behind a retaining ring42 is pressurized. The pressurized seal 41 extends the ring 42 to thepolish table. The pressurized ring seal 41 affects the retaining ringforce in this type of wafer carrier. An equation or table is used todetermine the amount of air pressure required in the inflatable ringseal 41 behind the retaining ring 42 to generate the required amount offorce on the retaining ring 42 during CMP. The CMP auto calibrationdevice allows the pressure from the inflatable seal 41 to be calibratedin order to achieve the necessary retaining ring force by takingmeasurements of the wafer force when the spindle force is set to a knownvalue.

In other semiconductor wafer carriers 2 such as the one shown in FIG. 7,the retaining ring 42 is held by the carrier 2, while an inflatablemembrane 43 is used to apply pressure behind the wafer 3. The inflatablemembrane in this configuration generates a wafer force which is acomponent of the downforce acting on the wafer. Other wafer carrierconfigurations may use a back plate to apply a wafer force. An equationor table is used to determine the amount of air pressure required in themembrane 43 to apply a desired force on the wafer 3 during polishing.

The CMP auto calibration system allows a quick and accurate method tocalibrate the spindle bellows, inflatable seal, and membrane pressureswith corresponding spindle force, retaining ring force, and wafer forcein the CMP tool just before or after a polish run. This calibrationmethod and system result in the use of more accurate forces whilepolishing wafers. FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the auto calibrationmethod. When the CMP auto calibration device is in use, a load plate 26with offsets 27 is placed in the unload station 23. Placement of theload plate 26 is accomplished by an operator or a robot arm coupled tothe CMP tool. The offsets 27 in the load plate 26 are situated above aload cell or plurality of load cells located in the unload station 23.The offset 27 can be adjustable and the height of the load plate 26 canbe adjusted to compensate for wafer 3 thickness. Next, pressure in theinflatable ring seal 41 or inflatable membrane 43 is set to zero,depending on the carrier type. This way, a spindle force measurementunaffected by ring seal pressure or membrane pressure can be taken. ASpindle 8 with a wafer carrier 2 is then positioned above an unloadstation 23 in a CMP tool 1. The wafer carrier 2 can be loaded with atest wafer or alternatively, the wafer carrier 2 can be empty dependingon the configuration of the load plate 26. Once positioned above theunload station 23, the actuation system of the spindle is pressurizedand the wafer carrier 2 is brought down onto the unload station 23 witha certain amount of downward force. The unload station has some degreeof freedom horizontally in the x and y direction and its configurationis such that it is self-centering with the spindle and carrier. Thisenables the carrier to align itself with the center of the unloadstation. When the wafer carrier is brought down onto the unload station,it is placed in contact with the load plate 26 and ledge 29 around theguide ring in the unload station.

To calibrate the spindle force, a control computer commands theactuation system to a specified pressure creating the downward force ofthe spindle. Pressure in the wafer carrier's inflatable ring seal orinflatable membrane is at zero. The actuation system brings the wafercarrier down to the unload station and the first load cell 24 is thenused to measure the resulting spindle force created by the actuationsystem. The control computer records the measurements from the firstload cell 24 and the respective bellows pressure that generated thatspindle force. The control computer then repeats this process forvarious pressures in the actuation system and records the pressures andcorresponding spindle force. As FIG. 9 illustrates, a spindlecalibration curve 44 is created using the data collected for bellowspressure 45 or piston pressure versus Spindle Force 46.

To calibrate fluid pressure corresponding to force components in thewafer carrier 2 such as retaining ring force or wafer force, the controlcomputer first commands the spindle force to a specified amount bringingthe wafer carrier down onto the unload station. The control computerthen sends a command to inflate the inflatable ring seal 41 or toinflate the inflatable membrane 43, depending on the carrier 2configuration, to a certain amount of pressure. The first load cell 24is then used to measure the total amount of spindle force. The secondload cell 25 is used to measure the wafer force component of the spindleforce. The control computer tests and records force data for a varietyof ring seal or membrane pressures. The control computer using the totalspindle force and wafer force components calculates the retaining ringforce. As shown in FIG. 10, the control computer, using the spindleforce equation, uses the data and values collected to generate acalibration curve 47 that corresponds either to the inflatable ring sealpressure 48 that generates a retaining ring force 49 or the inflatablemembrane pressure that generates a corresponding wafer force. Theresulting calibration curve 47 is dependent on the type of wafer carrier2 configuration. FIG. 10 shows a calibration curve 47 for a VIPRR wafercarrier 2 having an inflatable ring seal.

The calibration curves 44 and 47 generated by the above procedure areunique to the tested wafer carrier 2 and spindle. The calibrated spindleand carrier can then be used during the wafer polishing process. Theunique calibration ensures the Spindle Force, wafer force, and Retainingring forces are correct during CMP.

Calibration should occur when needed. It can be performed when a carrier2 is replaced with a different carrier 2, when the retaining ring 42and/or inflatable seal 41 are replaced, or when heights of carriers 2are adjusted (retaining ring height is set using shims- as the ringwears, the height must be shimmed-up). Wafer carriers 2 have manyconsumable items (including retaining rings 42 and inflatable seals 41)requiring periodic servicing. As such, it is common for the carriers tobe removed, rebuilt, and replaced periodically. Calibration should beperformed after rebuilding the carrier 2. If the wafer carrier ischanged in the CMP tool, the calibration process should also be repeatedfor that new carrier 2. In addition, calibrations tend to drift overtime. Periodic calibrations should occur even if carriers 2 are notchanged or rebuilt. The presently disclosed system and method allows fora convenient and accurate calibration of spindles and wafer carriersfound in a CMP tool.

Thus, while the preferred embodiments of the devices and methods havebeen described in reference to the environment in which they weredeveloped, they are merely illustrative of the principles of theinventions. Other embodiments and configurations may be devised withoutdeparting from the spirit of the inventions and the scope of theappended claims.

1. A system for calibrating a CMP tool comprising: a CMP tool; a firstmechanism disposed within the CMP tool capable of measuring a downwardforce of a spindle generated by an actuation system; a second mechanismdisposed within the CMP tool capable of measuring a retaining ring forcecomponent of said downward force; and a control computer programmed to:control, measure, and record the downward force of the spindle generatedby the actuation system; measure and record the retaining ring forcecomponent of the downward force; and determine a wafer force componentof said downward force.
 2. The system of claimed 1 wherein the firstmechanism comprises a first load cell able to measure the downward forceof the spindle.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the second mechanismcomprises a second load cell able to measure the retaining ring forcecomponent of the downward force.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein thecontrol computer is further programmed to distinguish between totaldownward force from the spindle and the force acting on the wafer usingthe downward force of the spindle and the retaining ring forcecomponent.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the actuation systemcomprises a bellows.
 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the actuationsystem further comprises a bellows pressure generating the downwardforce and the control computer is further programmed to: measure thebellows pressure corresponding to the downward force; record the bellowspressure corresponding to the downward force; and generate a calibrationtable corresponding bellows pressure to downward force.
 7. The system ofclaim 5 wherein the control computer is further programmed to controlthe bellows pressure.
 8. The device of claim 1 wherein the retainingring force component is generated by an inflatable ring seal having aninflatable seal pressure in a wafer carrier.
 9. The system of claim 8wherein the control computer is further programmed to create a tablecorresponding the retaining ring force component to an inflatable sealpressure generating the retaining ring force component.
 10. The systemof claim 8 wherein the control computer is further programmed to controlthe retaining ring force component.
 11. A system for calibrating a CMPtool comprising: a CMP tool capable of generating a downward force on awafer carrier using an actuation system; a first mechanism disposedwithin the CMP tool capable of measuring a wafer force component of thedownward force; a second mechanism disposed within the CMP tool capableof measuring a retaining ring force component of the downward force; anda control computer programmed to: measure and record the wafer forcecomponent; and measure and record the retaining ring force component.12. The system of claimed 11 wherein the first mechanism comprises afirst load cell able to measure the wafer force component.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11 wherein the second mechanism comprises a second loadcell able to measure the retaining ring force component.
 14. The systemof claim 1 wherein the second mechanism comprises a plurality of loadcells able to measure the wafer force component.